How to find the qibla anywhere

The qibla is the direction of the Kaaba in Makkah, and you find it by following the shortest path from where you are over the surface of the globe. From Jakarta it's about 295° (west-northwest), from London about 119° (east-southeast) and from New York about 58° (northeast). A phone compass, a calculated bearing, or the sun on the two days a year it stands over the Kaaba will all get you there.

فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ ۚ وَحَيْثُ مَا كُنتُمْ فَوَلُّوا وُجُوهَكُمْ شَطْرَهُ

So turn your face toward al-Masjid al-Haram. And wherever you are, turn your faces toward it.

How is the qibla direction calculated?

The Kaaba sits at about 21.4225° N, 39.8262° E. From your own latitude and longitude, the qibla is the starting direction of the shortest path between the two points over the Earth's surface, called a great circle. It's given as a bearing in degrees clockwise from true north.

Why isn't it where the map says?

Flat maps stretch the globe, so a straight line on a map is usually not the shortest route on the Earth. The best-known example is North America: on a flat map Makkah looks southeast, but the shortest path over the globe heads northeast. Always use a calculated bearing rather than drawing a line on a map.

Using a phone compass

A compass shows magnetic north, which differs from true north by a few degrees depending on where you are; good qibla apps correct for this. To get a steady reading:

• Hold the phone flat and away from metal, magnets, speakers and laptops.
• If the reading wanders, move the phone in a figure-eight a few times to recalibrate.
• Check it against a second method if something looks off.

Using the sun

Twice a year the sun passes directly over the Kaaba, so at that moment the shadow of anything standing upright points directly away from the qibla. Face the opposite way to the shadow and you're facing Makkah.

This only works where the sun is above the horizon at that moment, which covers Africa, Europe, the Middle East and most of Asia.

Finding the qibla when you travel

In a hotel, check whether the room has a qibla marker, often on the ceiling or in a drawer. At a mosque, the mihrab marks it. Elsewhere, use a calculated bearing for your current location rather than your home city: the qibla from Bali is not the qibla from Medan.

How Istiqama shows the qibla

Istiqama's qibla compass uses the location you've set to calculate the great-circle bearing and distance to the Kaaba. On phones with a motion sensor, the dial turns with you so the arrow points the right way as you move; without one, it shows the bearing from north so you can line it up yourself.

Questions

Why does the qibla from America point northeast, not southeast?

Because the qibla follows the shortest path over the curved Earth (a great circle). On a globe, the shortest route from North America to Makkah heads northeast, even though a flat map makes southeast look right.

How accurate does my qibla need to be?

Scholars generally say that when you can't see the Kaaba, facing its general direction is enough, and an honest effort to find it is what's required. Use the best tool you have, then pray with confidence.

My phone compass keeps changing. Is it broken?

Phone compasses are thrown off by metal, magnets and electronics nearby. Move away from them, wave the phone in a figure-eight to recalibrate, and check against a second method such as the sun.